Kerala CM’s office dismisses reports of credit row between Ministers behind Pinarayi’s absence at Smart City road inauguration

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
| Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office has denied “media speculation” that haggling between two Ministers over claiming credit for the successful completion of 12 smart roads in Thiruvananthapuram city as part of Smart City project had prompted him to stay away from the function on May 16. 

The controversy erupted on Wednesday (May 21, 2025), with several television news channels avowing that the Public Works department, headed by Minister P.A. Mohamad Riyas, had usurped the claim for the successful completion of the Central government project hugely underwritten by the Local Self-Government department, headed by M.B. Rajesh, both Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leaders. 

The news channels alleged that the billboards and social media reels promoting the successful completion of the protracted road works failed to feature the Local Self-Government department’s role despite its significant funding.

Vested interests: CMO

In a statement, the CMO termed the “media insinuations as absurd.” It stated that some vested interests had calibrated the propaganda in a sly but vain attempt to rob the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s urban infrastructure development achievements of their sheen. 

Health reasons cited

The CMO stated that Mr. Vijayan had cancelled three programmes on May 16 for health reasons.

It said the purveyors of the false propaganda had not bothered to verify its veracity with Mr. Vijayan or his office.